Indiana is the 19th U.S. state and is located in the Midwest region of the United States of America. It is located in the Great Lakes region, and with approximately 6.3 million residents, is ranked 16th in population and 17th in population density. It is bordered by Illinois to the west, Michigan and Lake Michigan to the north, Ohio to the east, and Kentucky to the south.
Indiana is ranked 38th in land area, and is the smallest state in the continental US west of the Appalachian Mountains. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th U.S. state on December 11, 1816.
Indiana was the birthplace of the movement to bring American troops back from Germany, in the tumultuous years following World War II. Representative Jerry Duncan(R) spearheaded the movement in the United States Congress at the urging of a group of his constituents including Diana McGraw, founder of Mothers Against the Madness in Germany. This movement gained even more strength when Indianapolis Councilman Gus van Slyke became the movement's martyr by being gunned down by an unknown assailant.